SPECTRAL BOREHOLE IMAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Respective embodiments disclosed herein include methods and apparatuses (1) for surveying a mine bench or other material body using at least seismic data obtained via geophone and measurement module data synchronized via a wireless link; (2) for generating hyperspectral panoramic imaging data of a blast hole or other borehole; or (3) for allowing a neural network to facilitate a differential blast design that targets a first bench part more weakly than the differential blast design targets a second bench part (along the same mine bench) at least partly based on data indicative of a much higher concentration of a valuable material in the second bench part than in the first.
1 . A borehole imaging system comprising:
a housing configured to enter a first borehole;
one or more light sources supported by said housing and configured to emit light of a first infrared frequency onto a side wall of said first borehole;
a controllable and retractable positioning mechanism configured to move said housing within said first borehole;
one or more mirrors configured to redirect a reflected portion of said light of a spectrum that includes said first infrared frequency incident from said side wall of said first borehole;
an imaging module that includes one or more electro-optical sensors configured to convert said redirected reflected portion of said light of said first infrared frequency into a first electronic signal, wherein said imaging module further comprises transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain panoramic interior image data that depicts said first borehole at least partly based on said first electronic signal from said one or more electro-optical sensors, wherein said one or more light sources supported by said housing are also configured to emit light of a visible frequency onto said side wall of said first borehole, and wherein visible and infrared light reflected from said side wall does not pass through any lenses in being redirected to said one or more electro-optical sensors; and
memory configured to store at least a portion of said panoramic interior image data.
2 . The borehole imaging system of claim 1 , wherein more than 50% of a total optical energy falling upon said side wall of said first borehole comprises diffuse illumination and wherein said light of said first infrared frequency comprises a first component of said total optical energy.
3 . The borehole imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said one or more mirrors configured to redirect a reflected portion of said light of said first infrared frequency incident from said side wall of said first borehole presents a planar surface.
4 . A borehole imaging system comprising:
a housing configured to enter a first borehole;
one or more light sources supported by said housing and configured to emit light of a spectrum including a first infrared frequency onto a side wall of said first borehole;
a controllable and retractable positioning mechanism configured to move said housing within said first borehole;
one or more mirrors configured to redirect a reflected portion of said light of a spectrum that includes said first infrared frequency incident from said side wall of said first borehole;
an imaging module that includes one or more electro-optical sensors configured to convert said redirected reflected portion of said light of said first infrared frequency into a first electronic signal, wherein said imaging module further comprises transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain panoramic interior image data that depicts said first borehole at least partly based on said first electronic signal from said one or more electro-optical sensors; and
memory configured to store at least a portion of said panoramic interior image data.
5 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or mirrors include a portion of conical mirror and wherein said one or more electro-optical sensors comprise an axially-directed camera configured to capture an image of said side wall of said borehole by receiving light redirected from said portion of said conical mirror.
6 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or mirrors include a portion of a conical-parabolic mirror and wherein said one or more electro-optical sensors comprise an axially-directed camera configured to capture an image of said side wall of said borehole by receiving light redirected from said portion of said conical-parabolic mirror.
7 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or mirrors include a portion of a rotating mirror and wherein said one or more electro-optical sensors comprise an axially-directed camera configured to capture an image of said side wall of said borehole by receiving light redirected from said portion of said rotating mirror.
8 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said housing is small enough to pass completely into a blast hole in a strip mine bench as described herein.
9 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said borehole imaging system is configured to image most or all of an interior of a blast hole on a strip mine bench as described herein.
10 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein at least one of said one or more mirrors configured to redirect a reflected portion of said light of said first infrared frequency incident from said side wall of said first borehole presents a planar reflecting surface configured to redirect said light without distortion.
11 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein at least one of said one or more mirrors configured to redirect a reflected portion of said light of said first infrared frequency incident from said side wall of said first borehole is a mirror mounted for rotation relative to said housing.
12 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or more light sources supported by said housing are configured to emit light of an ultraviolet frequency onto a side wall of said first borehole also and wherein ultraviolet and infrared light emanating from said side wall undergoes negligible refraction in being redirected to said one or more electro-optical sensors.
13 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or more light sources comprise a diffuse-light emitter.
14 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or more light sources comprise a mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) or long wavelength infrared (LWIR) emitter, wherein at least some of said one or more electro-optic detectors are configured to detect MWIR or LWIR light, and wherein a concentration of a target mineral that selectively reflects MWIR or LWIR light is thereby optically detectable within said interior image data.
15 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , comprising:
a drill rig configured to withdraw a first drill from said first borehole and to magnetically engage said imaging module, wherein said imaging module is configured to quantify an infrared energy characteristic of in situ material undergoing an exothermic reaction resulting from recent exposure to air as a component of said interior image data.
16 . An energy-conscious differential blast implementation system including said borehole imaging system of claim 4 , said energy-conscious differential blast implementation system further comprising:
transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain seismic-while-drilling data acquired while drilling numerous blast holes distributed along a strip mine bench each in association with XYZ location data, wherein said numerous blast holes include said first borehole;
transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain measurement-while-drilling data that depicts one or more blast holes of said numerous blast holes along said strip mine bench;
transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain panoramic interior image data that depicts at least one of said one or more blast holes along said strip mine bench in association with XYZ location data, said panoramic interior image data including said panoramic interior image data that depicts said first borehole at least partly based on said first electronic signal from said one or more electro-optical sensors;
transistor-based circuitry configured selectively to allow a neural network to implement a differential blast design that targets a first bench part along said strip mine bench more weakly than said differential blast design targets a second bench part along said strip mine bench partly based on said seismic-while-drilling data acquired while drilling said numerous blast holes along said strip mine bench and partly based on said measurement-while-drilling data acquired while drilling at least some of said numerous blast holes along said strip mine bench and partly based on said panoramic interior image data that depicts at least one of said one or more blast holes along said strip mine bench in association with XYZ location data, wherein said differential blast design associates a first aggregate blast energy density (“D1”) prospectively with said first bench part, wherein said differential blast design associates a second aggregate blast energy density (“D2”) prospectively with said second bench part, wherein said differential blast design targets said first bench part more weakly insofar that D1<0.7*D2 as a conditional response to a geometric model generated by said neural network indicating both a first aggregate concentration of a first target mineral in said first bench part and a second aggregate concentration of said first target mineral in said second bench part, and wherein said second aggregate concentration is more than twice said first aggregate concentration; and
transistor-based circuitry configured to implement said differential blast design that targets said first bench part more weakly than said differential blast design targets said second bench part partly based on said seismic-while-drilling data and partly based on said measurement-while-drilling data acquired while drilling at least some of said numerous blast holes along said strip mine bench by commanding one or more mobile manufacturing units (MMU's) to deposit explosive material into most or all of said numerous blast holes distributed along said strip mine bench according to said differential blast design; and
said one or more MMU's.
17 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said imaging module further includes a mirror small enough to enter one or more blast holes in a strip mine bench and wherein said imaging module is configured to use said mirror in capturing circumferential/annular image data of each of said one or more blast holes.
18 . The borehole imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said one or more light sources supported by said housing are configured to emit light of a visible frequency onto said side wall of said first borehole also and wherein visible and infrared light reflected from said side wall undergoes negligible refraction in being redirected to said one or more electro-optical sensors.
19 . A borehole imaging system comprising:
a housing configured to enter a first borehole;
one or more light sources supported by said housing and configured to emit light of a spectrum including a first infrared frequency onto a side wall of said first borehole;
a controllable and retractable positioning mechanism configured to move said housing within said first borehole;
one or more mirrors configured to redirect a reflected portion of said light of a spectrum that includes said first infrared frequency incident from said side wall of said first borehole;
an imaging module that includes one or more electro-optical sensors configured to convert said redirected reflected portion of said light of said first infrared frequency into a first electronic signal, wherein said imaging module further comprises transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain panoramic interior image data that depicts said first borehole at least partly based on said first electronic signal from said one or more electro-optical sensors, wherein said imaging module further includes a mirror small enough to enter one or more blast holes in a strip mine bench, wherein said imaging module is configured to use said mirror in capturing circumferential/annular image data of each of said one or more blast holes, wherein said one or more light sources supported by said housing are configured to emit light of a visible frequency onto said side wall of said first borehole also, and wherein visible and infrared light reflected from said side wall undergoes negligible refraction in being redirected to said one or more electro-optical sensors by said mirror; and
memory configured to store at least a portion of said panoramic interior image data.